U.S. patent application number 10/538610 was filed with the patent office on 2006-03-16 for system and method for creating a play sequence for a radio or tv program.
This patent application is currently assigned to Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.. Invention is credited to Andreas Kellner, Jan Kneissler, Holger R. Scholl, Eric Thelen.
Application Number | 20060059517 10/538610 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32479811 |
Filed Date | 2006-03-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060059517 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Thelen; Eric ; et
al. |
March 16, 2006 |
System and method for creating a play sequence for a radio or tv
program
Abstract
A system and a method are described for generating sequences of
audio or video contents (A . . . I). Contents (A . . . I) are
available in a stored or otherwise readable form. Additional data
(for example, genre, type, time, date, play time, costs, etc.) are
provided together with the contents (A . . . I). While taking a
user profile (P) into account, a play sequence (S) is composed from
the contents (A . . . I), using selection means (20). By matching
the additional data with selection criteria of the user profile
(P), a content evaluation number is determined first. For play
sequences of a plurality of contents (A . . . I), a sequence
evaluation number is then determined, in which the content
evaluation numbers of the contents (A . . . I) arranged therein and
preferably also correlation values between the contents and/or
costs for requesting the contents are taken into account. A
sequence (S) is selected in accordance with its sequence evaluation
number.
Inventors: |
Thelen; Eric; (Aachen,
DE) ; Kellner; Andreas; (Aachen, DE) ;
Kneissler; Jan; (Aachen, DE) ; Scholl; Holger R.;
(Herzogenrath, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PHILIPS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & STANDARDS
P.O. BOX 3001
BRIARCLIFF MANOR
NY
10510
US
|
Assignee: |
Koninklijke Philips Electronics
N.V.
Eindhoven
NL
5621
|
Family ID: |
32479811 |
Appl. No.: |
10/538610 |
Filed: |
December 1, 2003 |
PCT Filed: |
December 1, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB03/05637 |
371 Date: |
June 10, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
725/46 ;
707/E17.009; 725/135 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/458 20130101;
G06F 16/4387 20190101; H04H 60/06 20130101; G06F 16/437 20190101;
H04H 60/31 20130101; H04H 60/46 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/046 ;
725/135 |
International
Class: |
H04N 5/445 20060101
H04N005/445; H04N 7/16 20060101 H04N007/16; G06F 13/00 20060101
G06F013/00; G06F 3/00 20060101 G06F003/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 12, 2002 |
EP |
02102742.0 |
Claims
1. A system for generating sequences of audio or video contents (A
. . . I), comprising memory or access facilities for providing
contents (A . . . I), with additional data being provided together
with the contents (A . . . I), selection means (20) for composing a
play sequence (S), wherein the selection means (20) access a user
profile (P) with selection criteria and determine a content
evaluation number for contents (A . . . I) from matching the
associated additional data with the selection criteria, a sequence
evaluation number is determined for play sequences (S) composed of
available contents (A . . . I), the content evaluation numbers of
the contents (A . . . I) arranged therein are taken into account
when determining the sequence evaluation number, and a play
sequence (S) is selected in accordance with its sequence evaluation
number.
2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein correlation values
between the contents (A . . . I) are taken into account when
determining the sequence evaluation number.
3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sequence evaluation
number is decreased when there is a negative correlation value
between two contents (A . . . I), and the sequence evaluation
number is increased when there is a positive correlation value
between two contents (A . . . I).
4. A system as claimed in claim, wherein rules for determining
correlation values between contents are indicated in the user
profile (P), and the indicated rules are taken into account when
determining the sequence evaluation number.
5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sequence evaluation
number is determined as a weighted sum of content evaluation
numbers.
6. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a predetermined duration
(T) of the play sequence (S) and the play duration of the contents
(A . . . I) are taken into account when determining the sequence
evaluation number.
7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional data
comprise costs incurred when requesting the corresponding contents
(A . . . I).
8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional data
comprise keywords to the content of the corresponding contents (A .
. . I).
9. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selection means
comprise one or more computers (20) with a program for realizing
the selection function.
10. A method of generating sequences of audio or video contents,
wherein contents (A . . . I) and additional data therefor are made
available, and a content evaluation number is determined for
contents (A . . . I) from matching the associated additional data
with the selection criteria of a user profile (P), wherein a play
sequence (S) is generated from the available contents (A . . . I)
in that a sequence evaluation number is determined for different
combinations of contents (A . . . I), the content evaluation
numbers of the contents arranged in the sequence (1) are taken into
account when determining the sequence evaluation number, and a
sequence (S) is selected in accordance with its sequence evaluation
number.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a system and a method for
generating sequences of audio or video contents.
[0002] When making a radio program, some audio contents are
selected from a plurality of available audio contents and composed
to a play sequence. In a conventional radio transmitter, for
example, this composition would be the task of an editor. The same
task is performed when composing a TV program.
[0003] With the current and future technical possibilities of
storing or accessing audio or video contents, and for transmitting
these contents to a targeted audience of individual users or groups
of users, the realization of "personal radio" or "personal TV" is
possible in which a program with audio or video contents
corresponding to the profile of interest of each user is
transmitted to a user or a group of users. The composition of such
a program, i.e. a play sequence, and its transmission to an
appropriate end apparatus with the user will be a task of a service
provider.
[0004] The concept of "radio on demand" is described in WO
99/39466, in which an individual radio program is generated for
each listener. A profile with personal data and preferences is
stored for a listener. Audio contents comprise manually determined
additional data such as keywords to the contents, a compilation, a
summary, a version number and playing time. By matching the
additional information with the user profile, an individual program
is composed and played back. When composing a program, a composite
value is computed as a product for audio contents by multiplying a
manually given intrinsic value of the audio content with a value of
interest for the relevant theme, which value is stored in a user
profile. A play sequence is generated in that audio contents are
arranged in the sequence of the computed composite value.
[0005] The composition of a radio or TV program for a large number
of users with different references stored in each user profile can
rationally be performed only automatically. A sheer arrangement in
accordance with relevance, as proposed in WO 99/39466, can only
lead to a concatenation of contents without yielding a program
which is also observed as a whole by the user. In the solution of
sheer relevance, particularly interesting initial contributions are
followed by contents which are less interesting to the user.
[0006] For this reason, this method will usually not lead to a play
sequence and hence to a program whose overall duration will be
highly acceptable to each user.
[0007] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a
system and a method for generating sequences of audio or video
contents, in which available contents are composed to a play
sequence which is acceptable to the user.
[0008] This object is solved by a system as defined in claim 1 and
a method as defined in claim 10. Dependent claims refer to
advantageous embodiments of the invention.
[0009] The system according to the invention--realized, for
example, as a computer system--has storage or access facilities for
audio and/or video contents and associated additional data. The
contents are preferably stored digitally or compressed by means of
known audio or video compression methods. Additional data may
comprise a wide variety of information about the content. Examples
of such additional data are recording time and date, playback time,
type of the audio and video content (for example, news broadcasts,
movies, radio plays, and music), theme (for example for news
broadcasts: news item about a special event; for music: genre, for
example, country, rock, or classic, etc.).
[0010] The system comprises selection means for selecting contents
and arranging them in a play sequence. The selection means may be
preferably realized as a computer program which composes play
sequences in the way as described hereinafter, evaluates them and
selects the play sequences with the highest evaluation rate.
[0011] In a first step, content evaluation rates, or numbers, are
determined for individual contents. To determine the content
evaluation numbers, the user profile is matched with the additional
data characterizing the relevant content.
[0012] Subsequently, play sequences consisting of the available and
evaluated contents are evaluated by means of a sequence evaluation
number. A plurality of different criteria may be taken into account
in the sequence evaluation number. On the one hand, the content
evaluation numbers of the relevant contents therein are taken into
account, for example, as a weighted sum. Moreover, further criteria
such as correlation values between the contents, a predetermined
duration of the play sequence to be achieved and/or costs incurred
when playing back given contents can be taken into account.
[0013] A play sequence in accordance with its evaluation number is
selected from the play sequences thus evaluated. For example, the
sequence having the highest evaluation number can be selected.
However, to save computing time, for example, also the first
sequence can be selected, which exceeds a predetermined minimum
threshold.
[0014] When creating sequence evaluation numbers, i.e. evaluating
all the play sequences, a sequence which corresponds as a whole to
the wishes and preferences of the user and is accordingly accepted
by this user is automatically composed, which is in contrast with
the sheer evaluation of the relevance of individual audio contents
as described in WO 99/39466.
[0015] An essential improvement of the invention is the use of
correlation values between contents. Two or more contents may be
combined with a correlation value which may be preferably both
negative and positive. Such a correlation value indicates how the
selection of a content for use in the play sequence influences the
use of further contents which, as regards contents, are correlated
with the first content. A simple example of a negative correlation
value would be two contents which, as far as content is concerned,
supply complete or substantially identical news items on a theme.
When one of these contents is selected, a negative correlation
value is used so that, when additionally selecting the second,
identical content within the play sequence, the evaluation of the
play sequence, i.e. the sequence evaluation number (or the content
evaluation number of the second content and hence the sum of the
sequence evaluation number) is decreased in value. When both
contents thus correspond to the user profile in such a way that
they achieve high content evaluation numbers, sequences in which
both contents have been selected are nevertheless evaluated with a
smaller sequence evaluation number. The probability that the
substantially identical contributions both occur in the finally
selected play sequence is thus reduced.
[0016] An example of a positive correlation value would be two
contents, the first of which is, for example, a news broadcast on a
special event, such as an earthquake in a given region, and the
second content is background information on this theme, for
example, a background contribution on earthquakes and their general
causes. Without the previous selection of the first content with
the current news item, the background contribution in itself is not
selected because of a low content evaluation number (little
conformity with the user profile for such general information).
After the previous selection of the first content, the sequence
evaluation number of a sequence, in which also the second content
is used, is increased, so that it is more likely to be
selected.
[0017] Such correlation values may already be comprised in the
additional data for given contents, i.e. an indicator for a second
content and a, positive or negative, correlation value for this
content is stored in the additional data for a first content.
However, it is preferred that correlation values are also
determined in dependence upon the user profile. Rules for
determining correlation values are preferably indicated in the user
profile. The selection means reads these rules and uses them in
determining the sequence evaluation number.
[0018] The sequence evaluation number may be determined as a
weighted sum of the content evaluation number. This can be combined
with correlation values in that correlation values are added to, or
multiplied with, the sum and/or the individual content evaluation
numbers of the contents. In the case of addition, "positive" and
"negative" correlation values are understood to be positive and
negative numbers, respectively, and in the case of multiplication,
positive numbers are understood to be factors which are smaller or
larger than one.
[0019] A desired duration of the play sequence to be generated is
predetermined for the system. The system will then attempt to
select the contents also with reference to their individually known
playing times, such that the predetermined duration is completed.
This can be taken into account when determining the sequence
evaluation number, so that the determined sequence evaluation
number reflects, on the one hand, the degree of content conformity
with the user profile and, on the other hand, the degree of
conformity with the predetermined playing time.
[0020] A further improvement of the invention relates to possible
costs which may be incurred when requesting contents. On the one
hand, contents may be made available to the user at costs charged
by a service provider who also takes over the composition of the
sequence. On the other hand, the provider himself may incur costs
when requesting data from different sources. The costs incurred
when requesting contents may be stored as additional data to
contents. When determining content evaluation numbers and/or
determining the sequence evaluation number, this information can be
used. For example, in the user profile, an upper limit may be
indicated for the costs which may be maximally incurred by
requesting the relevant contents for each sequence. Likewise,
conditions may be given under which offers subject to costs can be
requested (for example: in a list of favorite artists, only musical
contributions that are current contributions, i.e. not older than,
for example, three months).
[0021] These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from
and will be elucidated with reference to the embodiments described
hereinafter.
In the drawing:
[0022] FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically a system for generating audio
content sequences.
[0023] In the embodiment, a system for generating audio content
sequences for a radio program is described. However, the
embodiments can also be used without any problem for video contents
and for composing TV programs.
[0024] A large number of audio contents can be requested from a
service provider. These audio contents comprise digital audio files
stored locally, for example, in a database. They may also comprise
files which are not directly stored with the service provider but
can be requested via a computer network, such as the Internet. As
explained above, additional data are stored with, or can be
requested from, the audio files.
[0025] The service provider has a user profile for each user. This
user profile may have been created, for example, by the user
himself. However, the profile may also have been created
automatically on the basis of monitoring the user's consumer
behavior so far, or a profile once provided may be constantly
updated on the basis of the user's consumer behavior.
[0026] The user now requests an audio play sequence from the
service provider. An example of such a request would be the daily
route of the user to his work, on which route he requests a play
sequence of an essentially predetermined length (i.e., for example,
the average duration of the trip to his work).
[0027] In a computer center of the service provider, a play
sequence is composed on the basis of the available user profile
from the currently available, stored or retrievable audio contents,
which play sequence is transmitted to the user. In this case, the
transmission is effected as a "push" transaction of the overall
play sequence, i.e. a number of selected audio contents in a fixed
sequence without the user actively selecting individual audio
contents. However, it would also be possible to provide user
interaction, for example, a function for skipping individual
contents.
[0028] Additional data can be requested together with the
individually available audio contents. The additional data comprise
some or all of the following information items: type (for example,
news, background information, music), keywords to the contents,
title, performer, recording time and date, theme, playing time,
costs (for the provider and/or the user). Further information may
of course be comprised in the additional data.
[0029] FIG. 1 symbolically shows the system 10 by way of example.
Available audio contents are the audio files A-I which are
retrievable from a database, with the relevant associated
additional data. A computer 20 having an appropriate program
accesses the database and can retrieve the audio contents A-I or
its additional data.
[0030] The computer 20 may alternatively access a stored user
profile P. In the example shown, the user profile P comprises the
following information: [0031] For contents of the type: news and
theme: Europe, a high value of interest, for example, 9 on a scale
of 0 to 10. [0032] For type: music and genre: pop, a medium value
of interest, for example, 5. [0033] For type: music and performer:
Bruce Springsteen, a high value of interest, for example, 9. [0034]
Audio contents of the type: news which is older than one week will
not be taken into account (value of interest: 0).
[0035] As regards contents that are subject to costs, the profile
comprises the following general stipulations: [0036] Contents
subject to costs have a limit of $1 per sequence. [0037] Contents
subject to costs will only be taken into account when there is
great conformity with the user profile and when the contents are
not older than one month.
[0038] The following rules are given for correlations between
contents: [0039] (a) Audio contents of the type: news and those of
the type: music will be taken into account evenly, i.e. in a 50:50
ratio. Consequently, a negative correlation value is given in the
case of deviations from this ratio. [0040] (b) An audio content of
the type: music is inserted between two audio contents of the type:
news. Consequently, a positive correlation value is given in the
selection of a news content, when the previous piece is a music
piece, and a negative correlation value will be given in the
reverse case. [0041] (c) The audio contents of the type: music
within a play sequence should be possibly homogeneous; i.e.
preferably performed by the same performer, or at least of the same
genre. Contents of the same performers thus acquire a high positive
correlation value, while contents of the same genre acquire a
(lower) positive correlation value. [0042] (d) Audio contents of
the type: news should only be taken into account when the
information is not comprised in previously selected audio contents.
[0043] (e) Background information, as far as available, should be
supplied with the news. Consequently, when selecting an audio
content of the type: news and additional selection of an audio
content of the type: background information and conformity of the
keywords, a high positive correlation value is given.
[0044] For the sake of clarity, these rules are formulated here in
a natural language. In a concrete realization, a corresponding
computer-readable descriptive language with its own grammar is
used.
[0045] The following audio contents A-I are available for the
above-mentioned user profile P in the example of FIG. 1.
TABLE-US-00001 Audio Costs content Type Genre/Theme Performer ($)
Source Keywords A News Report on earthquake 0 TV channel
Earthquake; Italy; in Italy 7 Correspondent X B News Report on
yesterday's 0 TV channel Earthquake; Italy; earthquake in Italy 11
Correspondent X C News Earthquake in Mexico 0 TV channel
Earthquake; Mexico 2 weeks ago 2 D Background Earthquakes, general
0 Earthquake information E Music Rock/Pop (old) Bruce 0 Springsteen
F Music Rock/Pop (current album) Bruce 0.5 Springsteen G Music
Rock/Pop (slightly older) Bruce 0.1 Springsteen H Music Metal (old)
Metallica 0 I Music Metal Metallica 0.25
[0046] The example above is of course a representation which is
simplified for the sake of clarity. In an actual computer
implememtation, a larger number of columns (i.e. database fields)
may of course be used. Particularly, instead of the approximate
date indications in the genre/theme column, which have only been
given for descriptive reasons, an exact date indication can be used
in a separate column. Above all, however, a considerably larger
number, for example, several hundred or thousand contents, will
usually be available.
[0047] FIG. 1 shows a computer system 20 which makes a selection
from the available audio contents by means of an appropriate
program run on this computer system and arranges this selection in
a play sequence S of a predetermined duration T.
[0048] This procedure is performed as follows. Any possible
combination of a plurality of audio segments A-I is consecutively
considered as a sequence to be tested and an associated sequence
evaluation number is determined. For this purpose, a content
evaluation number corresponding to the conformity of the relevant
additional information with the user profile P is first determined
for each audio content A-I. Subsequently, the additional
criteria--predetermined duration of the play sequence, costs limit
and inputs for using contents that are subject to costs and
correlations between the contents--are taken into account. The
content evaluation numbers and corresponding numerical events which
quantify, for example, the conformity as regards playing time, are
weighted and summed.
[0049] By way of example, the audio contents A, B and F first
acquire high content evaluation numbers because of a great
conformity with the user profile. The content E acquires an
evaluation which is somewhat lower but is also still high. As a
general contribution, contribution D acquires a relatively low
evaluation. Contributions H and I acquire low content evaluation
numbers because of little conformity with the user profile P. The
content evaluation number of contribution C is set to zero because
of the input date that has been exceeded.
[0050] These content evaluation numbers which are initially
supplied are changed once more as follows, on the basis of the
predetermined conditions and correlations: [0051] For sequences
with a previous selection of content A, the evaluation is clearly
reduced (corresponding content, correlation rule (d)) in the case
of an additional selection of content C. [0052] For sequences with
a selection of one of the contents A or B and subsequent selection
of the general contribution D, the sequence evaluation number is
clearly increased (correlation rule (e)) on the basis of the
background contribution matching the actual contribution. [0053] In
sequences in which content E or F has already been selected, the
evaluation number is increased (homogeneity) in the case of
additional selection of G, but is decreased (no homogeneity) in the
case of subsequent selection of H or I.
[0054] The rules (a) and (b) for arranging music and news
contributions are processed similarly. In this case, those
sequences for which the predetermined conditions are fulfilled are
given a higher evaluation.
[0055] Such an evaluation is performed for different, and
preferably all of the possible sequences completing the
predetermined duration. The sequences having the highest sequence
evaluation number are selected from the evaluated sequences. In the
example shown, for example, the sequence F-A-E-D-G could be
selected.
[0056] A further aspect may be the use of audio contents of the
type: commercials. In commercially sponsored programs, the user
profile may include a stipulation that a given number of contents
of the type: commercials should be comprised in a predetermined
unit of time. It is possible to eliminate this rule in return for
payment by the user, so that no commercials are provided.
* * * * *